Acid gelatine



arnnr Quince CLEMENT B. TOYVER, OF HYDE PARK, MASSAldl-IUSE'ITS.

it it' E ACID GELATlNE SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,916, dated March 5, 1889.

Application filed July 14, 1838. $erial No. 279,985, (No specimens.)

T0 to whomit may concernf Be it known that I, CLEMENT B. TOWER, a citizen of the Uiiitedfjtalcs, residing at Hyde Park, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gelatine; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

' My invention has relation to the preparation of medicinal or edible gelatine for table use; and the object of my invention is to produce a gelatine in a commercially dry and brittle form that shall in itself possess valuable nutritive and medicinal qualities and be an active therapeutic agent; and to these ends the invention consists in incorporating with the gelatine a free phosp'l'ioric acid or a combination of phosphoric acid with a base, preferably lime, in such proportions that jellies and the like may be prepared for table use without the addition of lemon orother acid juice.

It has been proposed to add lime-juice lo gelatine; but the resul unsightly, dark, and plastic compound, which has no commercial value, and as such it differs from the herein-described compou nil, in which a pure acid is added to gelatine, whereby a compound is produced which when dried becomes frangible or brittle andis clear and transparent in appearance.

To carry my invention inlo effect, I lake ordiuary dryg'elatine and make a solution with water in the usual manner and for every one hundred (.100) pounds of dry gclatine I add about nine (9) pounds of. caleic phosphate mixed with nine (9) or ten (.10) quarts oi. a fifty-degree Bunnie solution of phosphoric acid. This mixture is thei thoroughly agitated to insure a proper lire k oration of the ingredients. A l'ter being clarified, if nee essary, the solution is then strained and run into pans and allowed to jellify. It is then cut into sheets, placed upon frames, and dried in the usual manner. After it is thoroughly dry it may be packed for the market as it is, in sheets; or, if preferred, it may be broken into flakes, granulated, ground, or shredded to facilitate its dissolving. Acidulatcd gelatine instead of mixing the acid with commercial gelatine I can take bones, animal tissue, calves feet, or other gelatine-produeing material, and obtain a solution of the gelatine by any of the methods new employed. and

well known to those skilled in the art. I can then determine by any convenient method the amount of eo1nmercially-dry gelatine the solution contains and proceed to mix the calcic phosphate and phosphoric-acid solution, as described above. \Vhen it is desired to produce an aeidulated gelatine, only phosphoric acid maybe employed alone,using about the quantity above given; or citric, lactic, tartaric, or other innocuous acid, or a mixture of those acids, may be used, the degree of acid ity requ ire d of course determining the proportion of acid to be added. I have found a mixture of phosphoric and citric acids to prod u cc good rcsul ts,using' to every hundred pounds of dry gelatine twenty (20) pounds ol' li'l'ty-dog'ree (50) Baum phosphoric and five (5) poundsof citric acid in crystals. The ineor min-lion of phosphoric acid and its com pounds enables me to produce an acid Lila-ted gelalinipossossln decided nutritive qualities, and which as a therapeutic agent is a valuable ionic and digestive stimulanhfun nishing the system with ihe numb-needed phosphalo when prepared with sugar and wine; and left to jellily it furnishes a valuable health food for the sick and convalescent. It is obvious that considerable lalitude in prepnrinp, my acidulatcd gelatinc, both in the selection of" the ingredients logivc itlhcaeid CllitlilClEl-l and in the proportions used, maybe :oiatine combined with an innocuous acid, as et forth.

2. Aoiduiated gelatine in a dry and brittle orm, consisting; of ordinary geiatine corn- )ined with free phosphoric acid, as set forth. 3. Acidniated geiatine in a dry and brittle ?orm, consisting of ordinar geiatine containng a mixture of phosphoric and other innocuus acids, as set forth.

4. Acidulated geiatine in a dry and brittleform, consisting of ordinary gelatine combined with phosphoric and citric acids, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two'witnesses. I

CLEMENT B. TOWER.

\Vitnesses:

ALONZO DAVIS, CHARLES G. SLOAN. 

